


Keys

by Dancerslife



Category: The Newsroom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-30
Updated: 2014-08-30
Packaged: 2018-02-15 08:16:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2221968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancerslife/pseuds/Dancerslife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of AU one-shots based on the songs written by Scott Alan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keys

 

What possessed Will McAvoy to pick up the phone and dial the one number that he had spent the last two years trying to forget was beyond him. Nevertheless, right after one of his shows, he dialed the number and listened to it ring a few times before the person on the other lined answered.

Before he knew it he was inviting her to coffee at the place around the corner from the studio the next morning. Fully prepared for her to decline the offer was why he was genuinely shocked and surprised when she accepted, nervous as he made his way down the elevator the next morning because this woman – two years after not seeing this woman did things to him. Changed him in ways he never thought possible.  

The little coffee shop was like a secret club that only a select few knew about. The bell above the door chimed when he stepped in, alerting the teenage behind the counter that she had a visitor. She smiled at him and waved quickly before going back to the guest in front of her. He frequented the joint enough to be recognized by face if the news program wasn’t enough.

Will checked the watch on his write. A quarter to nine and she –

His breath caught in his throat at the sight of _her_ in the corner.

Mackenzie McHale was the woman he let get away. Both literally and figuratively. He overreacted, let her go without a fight, without listening to an explanation and he hated what he did to her. What he did to them.

Her hair was longer than the last time he saw her. It was well past her shoulders now instead of brushing her jaw. Around her neck was a scarf, her coat close by, close enough that she could grab onto it and run if necessary. She looked relaxed even with her pink cheeks, probably from being in the cold for too long. December days in New York did that to people, even those who lived there. Froze them to the bone.

She must have noticed him there somehow. Maybe he shifted that caught her attention or she just knew he was looking at her, because she looked up, right at him and smiled.

Like a piece of metal being pulled in by a magnet, he went to her. His hands immediately finding her waist and his lips finding her cheek. He pressed his lips to the skin, kissing her in hello.

“You look good,” she stated. “Vacation did a good number on you.”

“Thanks,” he said, nodding to her nearly empty cup of coffee. “Have you been here long?”

“Ten minutes or so,” she shrugged.

“How are-“

“What are-“

The pair laughed nervously as they stepped over one another, trying to keep the already awkward moment from getting any worse.

“You first,” Mackenzie said, raising her cup to her lips.

“How are Raymond and Bella?” Will asked, inquiring about the boy who should now be six and the girl who should be four.

Mackenzie swallowed hard, her coffee burning her throat as it made its way down. She cleared her throat, coughing lightly into her napkin.

“Raymond,” she began. “Started first grade today. And Bella started pre-school.”

Will nodded and grinned at the waitress who brought him a hot cup of coffee and a pot to refill Mackenzie’s.

“How about you?” Mackenzie asked. “Do you like your new apartment?”

Will nodded and wiped the corner of his mouth, ridding it of coffee. “It’s a decent size. I’ve got my guitars along the window. I’m high enough so no one can see – so that’s nice.”

Mackenzie nodded and turned away, her hair falling to shield her face. She tucked it behind her ear, giving Will a nervous smile when she catches him looking at her.

“How are your sisters?” Mackenzie questioned. “And your brother.”

Will nodded, putting down his cup. “Good. My sister moved out of Nebraska finally. No real reason for her there anymore.”

“I heard about your father,” Mackenzie said. “I really am sorry.”

“Thanks,” Will said, looking at the small, warm and soft hand that came to his as an offer of acknowledgement.

He brushed the top of her hand with his thumb, causing her to pull away. Her hands wrapped themselves around her coffee cup.

“So,” Mackenzie began. “Anyone new in your life?”

“We got this new Economic Professor from Columbia about two weeks ago,” Will shrugged. “She got a half hour spot to talk about the economy.”

“Sounds interesting,” Mackenzie said. He grinned at her full well knowing she had no idea about the economy.

“What about you?” Will asked, hedging around the question he didn’t want to know the answer to.

“I’ve got a four and six year old,” Mackenzie grinned. “They’re enough.”

Will nodded. He opened his mouth to speak but Mackenzie was pulling her wallet out of her purse She pulled out the latest photos of her children, sliding one of each across the table. She tapped to the one of Raymond, blonde blue eyed boy with a toothy grin smiling at them in the photograph.

“That was from last year,” Mackenzie stated. “His kindergarten picture.”

“And Bella?”

The girl’s hair was darker than her brother’s. More of a light brown than the blonde, but streaks of it naturally intertwined with the brown locks. The hazel eyes shining bright at them.

“Took her to a studio,” Mackenzie said. “This was just before Christmas.”

Will nodded and hesitantly reached out for them, picking them up. He grinned at the children and then looked up to her. “May I?”

“Of course,” Mackenzie nodded.

Will reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and replaced the baby photos of his children with the ones he had just been given. It had been two years and the children were four and two the last time he saw them. Ray was just a boy, a toddler who didn’t understand why he and Mommy were getting on a flight to London with Baby Bella and not with Daddy.

“I wanted to say I was sorry,” Will said, looking up from the bottom of his coffee cup. “For the way I reacted.”

“Will it’s okay really,” Mackenzie said.

“No,” Will denied, shaking his head. “I overreacted. I – shit Mac. I let you walk out that door with the kids.”

“You were angry.”

“Damn right I was angry,” Will said in a loud stage whisper, gaining a few people’s attention. “You – if – no. I’m not going to get angry now. Too much time. I miss you. I miss the kids. I miss – a lot of things and I just –“

“Wish you didn’t over react?” Mackenzie filled in for him. It wasn’t what he was going to say but it was close. “It’s my fault really. For choosing to tell you.”

“Why did you?”

“Would have rather me not?” Mackenzie asked. “We had a shot gun wedding, Will. No matter what we did it wasn’t – I took a gamble. I thought you were so involved with all of us that no matter what I told you you’d grow up and get over it.”

“I did,” Will defended.

“Two years later,” Mackenzie said. “After an endless stream of voicemails, emails, and letters, which did you read any of those?”

“The stuff from the kids, yeah.” Will admitted. “From you? No.”

Mackenzie nodded and dropped her head. “Figured as much.”

“Look Mac,” Will said, reaching out across the table and taking her hand in his, weaving their fingers together. “The past is the past. Yes we said things we probably shouldn’t have said, but we did.”

“You know,” Mac said. “I expected you to get angry. I would have been too, so that’s not what bothered me. But I brutally hurt you, that’s a fact and facts don’t change. But in my lifetime I never did it on purpose.”

“You slept with your ex-boyfriend, Mac,” Will said, leaning over the table, his voice in a harsh whisper.

Mac pulled back and stood, gathering up her coat, nodding to the door. Even she knew any outburst would get their picture taken and land Will in the papers. So she was going to prevent that from happening.

Will caught up to her quickly and grabbed her wrist, stopping her, preventing her from running away again.

“We weren’t just dating back then, Mac,” Will said, standing toe to toe with her. He had the urge to push back her hair, but he refrained.

“At the beginning we were though,” Mac said tilting her head. “I liked that he was jealous of me dating you and yes, I was using you, but at the end of any romantic comedy, when the girl realizes she’s in love with the guy, everything is fine.”

“Until it isn’t,” Will said.

“Until the divorce papers come,” Mackenzie said. “Followed by a custody agreement where your husband gives up his part of the custody to the wife, giving up all parental rights.”

“I need to get back to the office,” Will said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “But can I call you? I mean – two years is a long time – and I just – I don’t want it to be another two.”

Mackenzie shrugged her shoulder, giving him a non-committal answer.

“It was good to see you, Mac,” Will said, stepping up to her and leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek.

“Good to see you too,” she said, her voice cracking.

It was good enough for him to actually see her. To know the kids are doing okay. She was doing well. It was a good thing.

“Will?” He heard her call, causing him to stop and turn. “The kids and I go to the Astor every Wednesday. You’re welcome to join us.”

Will grinned. Today was Wednesday. “What time?”

“Five,” she said.

“I’ll be there.” He said, nodding and watching her grin and turn, disappearing into the crowd of Manhattan.

The walk back to Atlantis Cable wasn’t long. Before he knew it he was in the elevator and up to the newsroom floor.

He tossed his coat onto the visitor chair, changed into something less constricting and waited for the clock to hit four so he could head to see his family. Four o’clock couldn’t come soon enough.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
